When faced with an emergency situation, politicians are often forced to sacrifice their core moral principles in order to better serve the immediate public interest. This is commonly described as the Dirty Hands dilemma. Dirty Hands theorists conditionally defend politicians, but they leave the dilemma under-defined. Realists think that politicians do not even need defence, but their approach is overly relativistic and fails to distinguish between moral and immoral exercises of political authority. The present study critically engages with both sides of the debate in two parts. First, I use the method of conceptual analysis — and specifically conceptual disambiguation — to find out how each side conceives of the nature of the Dirty Hands dilemma. I find that (1) the dilemma emerges when a politician is forced to disregard the core human rights of certain individuals or groups to safeguard similar rights of others, and (2) the Realists fail to distinguish the concept of Dirty Hands from the concept of Political Compromise and Dirty Hands dilemmas from ordinary moral dilemmas. Second, using the method of reflective equilibrium, I advance the normative judgement that, instead of expressing guilt and paying the price, politicians should commit to not making their actions easy precedents when they confront a Dirty Hands dilemma. This study offers a better theoretical understanding of the Dirty Hands dilemma and a practical approach to distinguishing between moral and immoral exercises of political authority.

Работа посвящена осмыслению и комплексному описанию когнитивных признаков, смыслового объема и способов репрезентации концепта «Тайна» в русской языковой картине мира. Материал исследования составили: 190 лексических единиц со значением тайны в толковании слова, извлеченных из толковых, фразеологических, семантических, синонимических и антонимических словарей русского языка; 590 расширенных контекстов, представленных в Национальном корпусе русского языка; 149 ассоциатов, полученных в результате психолингвистического эксперимента. В первой главе работы рассматриваются теоретические принципы и концептуальная база исследования, раскрываются ключевые понятия «языковая картина мира», «концепт» и «концептосфера», а также описываются методики концептуального анализа и ассоциативного эксперимента. Во второй главе рассматриваются семантическая структура концепта «Тайна», его когнитивные признаки и смысловой объем концепта. Проводится анализ дискурсивного варьирования лексем, являющихся базовыми репрезентантами концепта «Тайна», на основе данных, собранных в Национальном корпусе русского языка. После этого производится проверка семантического содержания исследуемого концепта на основе результатов, полученных в ходе проведения цепочечного ассоциативного эксперимента. Материалы исследования могут быть использованы в преподавании дисциплин гуманитарного профиля («Когнитивная лингвистика», «Лингвокультурология»), а также при создании учебных пособий, словарей концептов или лингвокультурных тезаурусов. В приложении представлена иллюстрация структуры концепта «Тайна». / The thesis is devoted to the understanding and comprehensive description of cognitive features, semantic scope and ways of representing the concept of “taina” (“secret”) in the Russian linguistic picture of the world. The research material consisted of 190 lexical units with the meaning of secret in the meaning of the word, extracted from explanatory, phraseological, semantic, synonymic and antonymic dictionaries of the Russian language; 590 extended contexts presented in the National Corpus of the Russian Language; 149 associates obtained during a psycholinguistic experiment. The first chapter of the thesis examines the theoretical principles and conceptual framework of the research. It reveals the key concepts of “linguistic picture of the world”, “concept” and “conceptual sphere”, and describes the methods of conceptual analysis and associative experiment. The second chapter examines the semantic structure of the concept of “Secret”, its cognitive features and the semantic scope of the concept. The analysis of the discursive variation of lexemes, which are the basic representatives of the concept of “Secret”, is carried out on the basis of data collected in the National Corpus of the Russian Language. The semantic content of the concept is checked based on the results obtained during the associative chain experiment. The research materials can be used in teaching humanities disciplines (“Cognitive Linguistics”, “Linguoculturology”), as well as in creating textbooks, conceptual dictionaries or linguistic and cultural thesauruses. The appendix provides an illustration of the structure of the concept of “Secret”.

No description available.

The thesis focuses on translation analysis of the Czech Civil Code and its French translation created between 2013 and 2015, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part outlines the problems of legal translation, characterizes legal language and legal texts, compares the evolution of Czech and French law, and describes the process of legal translation with the emphasis on equivalence of Czech and French legal concepts. The empirical part analyzes Sections 1209 of the New Civil Code and their translations into French. The key working method is translation analysis, carried out at several levels, against a background of linguistic and legal analysis. The core part of the thesis contains lexical analysis of Czech legal institutions and their translations into French. Lexical analysis is carried out by the method of conceptual analysis, which compares essential and accidental elements of Czech and French (and sometimes Swiss) legal institutions. Translation analysis aims to establish the method of translation that was used, and to determine if the method complies with the translation brief. The thesis also proposes a glossary based on analyzed Sections.

The scope of this thesis is the field of business process modeling and additionally the usability of business process models in areas like conceptual analysis of IS/ICT, business process reengineering and business process management. For the purpose of evaluation of the usability of current standards for business process modeling, an framework for comparison of various characteristics of these standards is proposed. This thesis has two aims. Primarily, to develop an approach for evaluation of business process modeling standards, and as a secondary aim, to apply this evaluation model onto a set of selected standards for business process modeling and thus perform a comparison of these standards. The evaluation model has two main components. The first part is to create a set of characteristics which represent two existing points of view onto the exploitability business process modeling (e.g. during the development of IS/ICT and during BPR/BPM1). During the identification of particular characteristics, a research into the related literature and other sources has been performed to provide a sufficient basis for this activity. The second part of the developed approach is to the application of PEMM (Process & Enterprise Maturity Model), which was developed by Dr. M. Hammer for the purpose os auditing the maturity of business processes. Both of these parts are then put together into one evaluation framework. Based on information gathered from the respective specifications of particular standards, related literature and articles, we've performed an application of this evaluation framework on three standards for business process modeling: EPC, BPMN and IDEF3. The benefits of this thesis could be seen as a creation of a very own approach for evaluation of business process modeling standards. Additionally by performing the comparison of these three standards for business process modeling we've created a guideline which could be there fore applied by the potential reader during the decision making of what standard to use for business process modeling (in the context of expected purpose of this modeling).

This thesis strives to raise and answer three questions about the concept of hybrid warfare: What concepts of hybrid warfare exist so far? How similar or different are they? How useful are they from conceptual standpoint? The questions are answered by a conceptual analysis consisting of survey of existing concepts, their comparison and detailed evaluation of two of them on the basis of criteria of conceptualization. The answers revealed several important issues of the concept. Firstly, there are too many different concepts of hybrid warfare, often formulated with insufficient care for previous debates and already established concepts. Secondly, the formulated concepts of hybrid warfare are often different to a degree, which calls into question the claim, that all of them are trying to capture the same phenomenon. Lastly, even the better elaborated of the hybrid warfare concepts seem to be rather poorly conceptualized and not very useful. These three answers together cast shadow of doubt on the currently popular concept of hybrid warfare. The results of this work call for more careful thinking on whether and how the use of this concept is helping or hurting both our understanding of contemporary conflicts and our defence efforts against contemporary threats.

This essay focus on the normative debate between cosmopolitanism and statism in the context of global distributive justice. The notion of basic structure and negative rights examines separately in two questions to understand distributive justice as a global subject rather than only national. Statists as Rawls holds the position that global distributive justice prerequisite a basic structure with coercive instrument. Pogge as cosmopolitan arguments for the existence of global basic structure, by addressing inequalities in real-world politics, in the form of negative rights violation. The aim of this study is to justify global distributive justice on cosmopolitan duties, based on normative political theory, reflective equilibrium, and conceptual analysis. The main issue is formulated into two questions in the following: • Does reciprocity constitute a global basic structure that presupposes resource distribution? • Can self-respect as foundation of rights justify global distributive justice? I do this first by analyzing the concept of basic structure, based on the notion reciprocity. This is to identify the basic structure of the global system that prerequisite global distributive justice. Second, I analyze Pogge’s formulation of negative rights as cosmopolitan rights, to modify them to a positive concept of rights. This is in purpose to avoid the libertarian counterargument presented by Narveson, that negative rights fail as a ground of cosmopolitan duties. I show first that coercion is not a necessary condition, but only sufficient for the basic structure. Thus, the global basic structure exists and prerequisite distributive justice, based on reciprocity. Unlike the national basic structure of coercive instrument, the global basic structure grounds on several global threats and challenges that tie all nations as alternative concept of coercion. Second, I show that cosmopolitan duties can be grounded on positive rights. I do this through the notion of self-respect and deontological ethics, which success to avoid the libertarian critique of cosmopolitan duties.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the notion of (higher) education transformation in relation to logically necessary conditions which guide the concept. These logically necessary conditions (constitutive meanings) include: equity and redress, critical inquiry, communicative praxis, and citizenship. I explore how instances of these logically necessary conditions manifest in institutional plans at the universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and the Western Cape. My contention is that these institutional plans seem to be tilted towards the exclusive implementation of performance indicator measures which might undermine deep educational transformation. In turn, deep educational transformation requires that logically necessary conditions be framed according to an African philosophy of educational transformation. KEYWORDS: Higher education, education policy, transformation, conceptual analysis, logically necessary conditions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif word die konsep (hoër) onderwystransformasie ondersoek soos dit logies in verhouding staan tot die voorwaardes wat die konsep rig. Hierdie logiesnoodsaaklike voorwaardes (konstitusionele betekenisse) sluit in: gelykheid en regstelling; kritiese ondersoek; kommunikatiewe praksis en burgerskap. Ek stelondersoek in oorlhoe voorbeelde van hierdie logiese-noodsaaklike voorwaardes in die institusionele planne van die universiteite Kaapstad, Stellenbosch en Wes-Kaapland manifesteer. Volgens my lyk dit asof hierdie institusionele planne neig na die eksklusiewe implementering van maatreëls wat optrede aandui wat in-diepte opvoedkundige transformasie mag ondermyn. Aan die ander kant vereis in-diepte opvoedkundige transformasie dat logies-noodsaaklike voorwaardes binne 'n Afrika filosofie van opvoedkundige transformasie vertolk moet word. SLEUTELBEGRIPPE: Hoër onderwys, opvoedkundige beleid, transformasie, konseptuele analise, logies-noodsaaklike voorwaardes.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is a conceptual analysis of “institutional culture” in higher education, especially because the concept has become a buzzword in higher education discourse in South Africa. The aim is to develop an understanding of the concept, and more specifically, to explore how institutional culture is organised, constructed and articulated in the institutional documents of Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC). These analyses are preceded by an analysis of higher education policy documents. I employ critical hermeneutics as research methodology to construct constitutive meanings of “institutional culture”. Since it is difficult to work with a large set of constitutive meanings, I narrowed the list down to the four most frequently recurring meanings, namely: shared values and beliefs; language; symbols; and knowledge production. These constitutive meanings form the theoretical framework which is used to analyse institutional documents. My findings suggest that all the constitutive meanings of my theoretical framework are addressed in the institutional documents of both SU and UWC, which means that the institutional documents conform to my theoretical framework. SU has, in my opinion, an excellent and comprehensive base of well-prepared and compiled institutional documents. However, most of these documents seem to relate to quality and compliance to national policy requirements, with no significant actions or strategies to address the challenges related to transforming the University’s institutional culture. Even though SU has shown commendable strategic initiatives to transform its institutional culture, there has not been sufficient engagement with the challenges of transformation. Similarly, for UWC, it is my contention that even though UWC is committed to transformation and nurturing a culture of change in order to make meaning of and address the complex challenges of the world, there needs to be more rigorous engagement in shaping and managing strategic direction and planning to ensure an institutional culture to accommodate change. Even though the institutional documents analysed mostly conform to the constitutive meanings of the theoretical framework, what of concern is the lack of an adequate articulation of the concept “institutional culture”. If there is no articulation, it follows that there is an inadequate understanding of the concept. A deeper understanding is crucial if the important link between transformation and “institutional culture” is to be realised. I contend that there exists a disjunction between “institutional culture” and transformation policies. One of the reasons for this disjunction is an impoverished understanding among higher education policy practitioners of the concept “institutional culture”, which creates an impression of compliance with national policy requirements. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling behels ’n konseptuele ontleding van “institusionele kultuur” in hoër onderwys, vernaamlik omdat die konsep ’n modewoord in die diskoers in hoër onderwys in Suid-Afrika geword het. Die doel was om begrip van die konsep te ontwikkel, en meer spesifiek om te ondersoek hoe institusionele kultuur in die institusionele dokumente van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch (US) en die Universiteit van die Wes-Kaap (UWK) georganiseer, saamgestel en geartikuleer word. Hierdie ondersoeke word voorafgegaan deur ‘n analise van hoër onderwys beleidsdokumente. Kritiese hermeneutiek is as navorsingsmetodologie gebruik om die konstitutiewe betekenisse van ‘institusionele kultuur’ te bepaal. Aangesien dit moeilik is om met ’n groot stel konstitutiewe betekenisse te werk, is die lys tot die vier mees herhalende betekenisse beperk, naamlik gedeelde waardes en oortuigings; taal; simbole; en die voortbring van kennis. Hierdie konstitutiewe betekenisse het die teoretiese raamwerk gevorm vir die ontleding van die institusionele dokumente. My bevindinge doen aan die hand dat al die konstitutiewe betekenisse van die teoretiese raamwerk in die institusionele dokumente van sowel die US as UWK aan bod kom, wat beteken dat die institusionele dokumente met die teoretiese raamwerk ooreenstem. Na my mening het die US ’n uitstekende en omvattende basis goed voorbereide en saamgestelde institusionele dokumente. Die meeste van hierdie dokumente blyk egter met gehalte en nakoming van nasionale beleidsvereistes verband te hou, met geen beduidende handelinge of strategieë om die uitdagings aan te pak wat met die transformasie van die US se institusionele kultuur verband hou nie. Alhoewel die US lofwaardige strategiese inisiatiewe aanwend om sy institusionele kultuur te transformeer, blyk daar nie ’n genoegsame verbintenis te wees om die uitdagings van transformasie die hoof gebied nie. Eweneens, wat UWK betref, is my argument dat alhoewel UWK verbind is tot transformasie en die kweek van ’n kultuur van verandering ten einde sin te maak van die komplekse veranderinge van die wêreld en sodanige veranderinge aan te pak, ’n meer nougesette verbintenis nodig is rakende die ontwikkeling en bestuur van strategiese leiding en beplanning ten einde ’n kultuur wat verandering tegemoet kom, te verseker. Alhoewel die institusionele dokumente wat ontleed is hoofsaaklik met die konstitutiewe betekenisse van die teoretiese raamwerk ooreenstem, is die gebrek aan voldoende artikulasie van die konsep “institusionele kultuur” rede tot kommer. Die gebrek aan artikulasie lei tot onvoldoende begrip van die konsep. ’n Grondiger begrip is noodsaaklik ten einde die belangrike skakel tussen transformasie en “institusionele kultuur” te verwesenlik. My gevolgtrekking is dat daar skeiding tussen” institusionele kultuur” en transformasiebeleide is. Een van die redes vir sogenaamde skeiding is gebrekkige begrip van die konsep “institusionele kultuur” onder hoër onderwys beleidsrolspelers, wat die idee skep van nakoming van nasionale beleidsvereistes. / Andrew Mellon Foundation

Thesis (MEd (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / During his presidency, Mr Nelson Mandela could not emphasise enough the rights of children and the conditions of children and youth in detention. In his first opening speech of Parliament in 1994 he made it quite clear that the rights of children had to be prioritised. In May 1995, a year after the Government of National Unity came into power, Mr Mandela recommended that an Inter-Ministerial Committee for Youth at Risk should be appointed to draft an improved system for Child and Youth Care. With regard to children who are guilty of lawlessness, drug abuse, gangsterism and juvenile delinquency, Places of Safety occupy an important position in the South African education system. In this research I conclude that the biggest stumbling block for the effective application of moral education in Places of Safety could be attributed to the fact that children admitted to these places are hardened street children. They form a sub-culture on their own, who could easily be influenced by the group of whom they are part. The multi-disciplinary teams who are responsible for the moral education of these learners are not always adequately trained to handle their tasks effectively, and do not always realise the necessity thereof. The limited time that these learners/children spend at Places of Safety also has an influence on the effective application of their moral education. The programmes at Places of Safety are specifically designed to support the regeneration of morality for children who stray from accepted social norms and values of society. The National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO) has support structures in the community in places which support children and youth, who are guilty of unacceptable social behaviour, such as violent crimes, house burglary and rape. One may refer to support structures as diversion programmes, and they are managed by NICRO to support institutions that are currently working with persons in conflict with the law.